The golden Ghost hovered silently beside Orion, flickering with a pulse that felt almost like a heartbeat. The chamber had quieted after the combat simulation, but inside Orion, the storm hadn't stopped.
He could still feel the hum of power within him—Light and Dark, churning, evolving.
Each element he'd summoned in battle had come naturally, even like second nature… like muscle memory from another life.
But now? Now it was deeper than instinct.
It was ingrained in my own very my being.
He raised a hand, summoning a thin line of Void between his fingers, watching it flicker and dissipate. Then came a spark of Arc across his palm, playful and restless. He sighed and closed his fist, extinguishing both.
"System," he muttered aloud, "What's my status?"
> [Status: Duality Core Stabilized.]
[Power Type: Light / Dark — Paracausal Hybrid]
[Limitation: Seal Interference — Residual Containment Active]
[Note: Limiter partially removed. Primary restriction has evolved.]
He narrowed his eyes. "Evolved?"
He looked down at the Ghost—the newly-forged entity, born from the choker. It wasn't just a transformation. It was a conversion, a rewriting of the seal into something else. Something alive.
And yet... something was still off.
He could feel it in the air, in the way the Light didn't fully stretch its wings inside him. The Darkness pulsed, but didn't roar. There was still resistance—not from within, but around him.
The Ghost turned slowly in the air, scanning. "Detection: Hidden protocols still active. Internal safeguards remain... binding you."
Orion's jaw clenched. "You're telling me… even now, the collar's still holding me back?"
The Ghost bobbed once. "Yes. Though its form has changed, its core remains intact. You forged me from the seal's remnants—but its foundation, its original purpose, is still rooted in your essence. I remain a ward. A failsafe."
"So... it's not broken." His voice was bitter. "I just rebuilt the cage."
"No," the Ghost corrected. "You reforged the lock. But now you hold the key."
The system chimed again.
> [New Quest Unlocked: Unseal the Ghost]
> The collar's transformation has granted you autonomy, but it still holds inherited commands tied to Lilith and Chthon. By severing these ancient threads, you can forge your Ghost into a true paracausal entity—capable of independent thought, resurrection, combat interface, and false-seal mimicry.
[Quest Objectives:
Fully synchronize with Ghost Core.
Navigate and overwrite inherited commands.
Engage Light/Dark Balance Trial.
Imprint the Ghost with your unique will.]
[Reward:
-Awakened Ghost Companion (True Ghost): Independent AI fused with paracausal Light/Dark core.
-Ghost-Shroud Mode: Transforms back into collar form to simulate suppression.
-Resurrection Protocols Enabled.
-Reality Weaving: Stage 1 Access.]
---
Orion blinked.
"Reality weaving...?"
"Stage 1," the Ghost echoed. "Limited manipulation of material and energetic constructs. In short—shaping matter to your will, within the rules of this world... and occasionally, beyond."
He took a slow breath.
This was no longer about just unlocking power. This was about rewriting the foundation of who he was—what he was. A being born from a prophecy. Forged by a mother who made a deal with a god. Bound by a collar enchanted to both protect and imprison. And now... standing on the precipice of something greater.
Orion walked toward the center of the room again, placing a hand on his chest where the collar once sat. He remembered the weight of it—always warm, always present. His mind flashed to late-night Destiny forums, where he and other lore nerds speculated about Lilith's fall, Chthon's plan, and the true nature of the "vessel."
He remembered someone posting, "Hunter was the failsafe. Not the weapon. Not the key. He's the lock Chthon built himself, waiting to open."
He hadn't understood it then. Now, he did.
Chthon didn't just want to control him. Chthon had engineered him—crafted the vessel through Lilith's sacrifice and bound it in mortal skin. The collar was just the lid on the box. But the Ghost? That was the fuse.
Orion looked at the floating entity beside him. "So if I complete this quest… the seal is mine to wield. Not just hide."
"Yes," the Ghost replied. "And it will allow you to become what the system was always meant to create. Not a guardian. Not a demon. Something new."
He gave a low chuckle. "A reality-tier paracausal being… hiding behind a fake necklace."
"Perfect camouflage," the Ghost agreed.
Orion's smile faded as he raised his hand.
"I'm ready. Begin the trial."
The world around him trembled—no simulation this time. This wasn't practice.
This was Ascension.